Forty players, current and past WNBA players among them, are now in Nashville for the fourth season of Athletes Unlimited (AU) basketball. Launched in 2020, AU utilizes what it calls a professional player-centric model. In addition to basketball, which tipped off play in 2022, the organization currently has professional leagues in softball and volleyball.
“We are on the ground in Nashville,” said Megan Perry, AU director of basketball. Prior to the season’s first tip-off on Feb. 5 (National Girls and Women in Sports Day), there is training and player orientation. While the games are traditional 5×5 basketball and there are four teams, players amass individual points for various aspects of each game, and at the end of four weeks of play, the person with the most points is crowned the league’s individual champion. Last year’s champion was Allisha Gray, who this winter is in Miami with Unrivaled.
“What I love about Athletes Unlimited overall is their commitment to women’s sports, being innovative and trendsetters in the space,” said Perry. “We are a player-led, player-driven organization. We are collaborating or partnering with our players … down to how our format of play is on the court.”
This year’s players include well known names like Lexie Brown, Alysha Clark, Sydney Colson, Shey Peddy, Maddy Siegrist and Elizabeth Williams, as well as former WNBA players and players still hoping to play in the WNBA. In addition to the opportunity to play and earn money, there is professional development and programming. Members of the AU staff help the athletes with content development for those interested in increasing their presence on social media.
“[Our model] allows our players to not only compete against elite level talent, but also to learn something new,” said Perry. “Captains are identified by the top four finishers on the leaderboard. Captains select their teams via a weekly draft, so players change teams from week to week. What exists within AU is that we don’t have traditional coaches; we have facilitators to support our captains in the decision making. Our captains are leading the practices and making substitution decisions. It promotes this freedom of play that exists … and they get to showcase a lot more of their talent.”
Before play gets underway, there is media day, a kickoff party with local personalities and influencers, and two exhibition games. During the season, games air on ESPN+ and the Fanduel SN & WNBA App.
